walking

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English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English walkynge, walkinge, walkinde, walkende, walkand, walkande, from Old English wealcende (attested as Old English wealcendes), from Proto-Germanic *walkandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *walkaną (“to roll, trample, walk”), equivalent to walk +‎ -ing.

Verb

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walking

  1. present participle and gerund of walk

Adjective

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walking (not comparable)

  1. Incarnate as a human; living.
    Elizabeth knows so many words that they call her the walking dictionary.
    Phil's mother is a walking miracle after surviving that accident.
    • 2020 November 19, Kurran Karbal, Zuzu (lyrics and music), “Woke Up” (0:22 from the start), in Adventure Time: Distant Lands - Obsidian (Original Soundtrack), performed by Olivia Olson:
      Honestly / You're a walking, talking, candy tragedy
  2. Able to walk in spite of injury or sickness.
  3. Characterized by or suitable for walking.
    a walking tour
    good walking shoes
  4. Heavily characterized by some given quality.
    She was a walking example of how fitness training can take you a long way.
    a walking contradiction
  5. (music) Being a style of bass accompaniment or line, common in Baroque music (1600–1750) and 20th century jazz, blues and rockabilly, which creates a feeling of regular quarter note movement, akin to the regular alternation of feet while walking.
    a walking bass, or walking bassline
Translations
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Etymology 2

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From Middle English walkyng, walkinge, equivalent to walk +‎ -ing.

Noun

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walking (countable and uncountable, plural walkings)

  1. verbal noun of walk.
    • 1878, Anthony Trollope, Ayala's Angel:
      Mrs Dosett, aware that daintiness was no longer within the reach of her and hers, did assent to these walkings in Kensington Gardens.
    • 2013 September-October, Rob Dorit, “These 'Bots Are Made for Walking”, in American Scientist:
      Walking seems so simple: Just put one foot in front of the other. Yet every step you take is a precarious act. When you walk, your body’s center of mass is rarely located over one of your feet.
Translations
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Derived terms

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See also

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